Where is your Eden?

August is a time coined by the newspapers as “silly season” – everyone is on holiday and quality news is thin on the ground. This means unusual news stories that might not otherwise get coverage come to the fore.

It’s not been that way in the animal world. There were so many things going on throughout the course of past month I couldn’t decide what I would write about for September’s blogs:

• Panorama on the RSPCA
• The Wildlife March in London
• More trophy hunting exposés
• Anisha in The Archers and her lack of compassion for a fellow vet (and do they even have a vet nurse?? More on that in another blog)
• Was the RCVS Council election rigged?

All have been big stories, and I could have written something about any of them (and may still do). However, the one that hit me the most may have been the quietest story. It was the TV show Eden. More specifically Rob the Vet – or Rob P as he was often referred to on screen.

What is Eden?

Eden was a Channel 4 show where 23 people joined together to live “off grid” and build a new society – a utopia; their own Eden.

This really appealed to me. If we had a chance at building a community from scratch with the knowledge we have, would we build a better life than in the outside world, or do communities always need their bad guys – their alt-right and their liberal left?

Eden started last year and was meant to be a weekly series lasting the entire year. Yet, after a few episodes, C4 announced a “break” for summer, appearing back on our screens as Eden: Paradise Lost in early August with just five episodes to cover remaining months.

Why the break/change in format? C4 said things got “too dark” to make a one-hour weekly TV show for a whole year (however, I’m sure at least some of that is TV speak – to get people interested, and all that).

Slow burner

The show wasn’t ever going to be Celebrity Big Brother with sheep. It was a slow burner of a show where the idea wasn’t to “win”. If there was any victory to be gained, it was in the successful building of a community, both physically (they had no electricity and no shelter) and emotionally (living with 22 other strangers cut off from the rest of society was never going to be easy).

*** Before I go on, there may be some spoilers coming up ***

The group was given the basics – some dried food rations, some livestock and animal feed, as well as gardening materials and seeds to help them grow their own crops. Unsurprisingly, food was at the heart of many arguments, including:

• how to split up the rations
• who had done the most work
• who had access to the food
• who had stolen food

Another of the big issues? The slaughter of livestock.

Uncomfortable situation

While several camp members were trained to slaughter the livestock, it was noted Rob did it better than everyone else. Therefore, he ended up doing it more than the others.

Initially, this seemed fine; the group had a whole year to go, and were breeding from some of the livestock. The slaughter of animals was also a decision made – and taken very seriously – by the whole camp, with the meat provided appreciated, and every part used.

However, Rob was clearly uncomfortable with the process from the start, as were many of the camp mates. To care for animals every day and then eat them is far removed from our relationship with the meat we buy in plastic boxes from a supermarket.

Despite this, Rob did what we all do in animal care; he did the job needed, and doing it very well, to ensure minimal suffering to the animal. He then dealt with his emotion later.

Lack of comprehension

It was this final part of this process I think was the hardest to watch. I could feel Rob’s pain from watching him and could see there were some camp members (the self-named “Valley Boys”) who could not comprehend what he was going through.

When the camp eventually divided, the Valley Boys decided to embark on a meat-only diet to try and eat all the livestock before the year ended.  Rob, again, was put in the position to cull them.

The Valley Boys disrespected not only the animals, but the process of killing them, and the emotional effect of taking a life. They also left meat unused and rotting on the ground, and had no regard for the fall-out from death – even a planned death for sustenance.

Rob had respect for the animals, knew the process was as humane as it could be, and acknowledged there was an emotional effect to the process.

A shining example

This is something that affects us all in the vet community. In Rob I saw every one of us who has to hold back the tears when euthanising a pet, the distraught owner nearby. In Rob I saw the moment of doubt in us as humans that we have the right to take lives. In Rob there was the strength of being able to continue to work at a high level even in the most emotionally trying circumstances.

I watched Eden because I’m possibly a little idealistic. I really just want everyone to be happy and thought it would be great to see if a group cut off from society could create a community where that could happen. It’s probably no spoiler this wasn’t the case.

What I did see was a member of my vet world community displaying the best demonstration of the multi-layered issues we face when we have chosen to care for animals (and humans) I have ever seen on TV.

For that Rob, I thank you. I am proud to be in a community with you, and people like you. We might not be in Eden, but some of us try to create it around us wherever we are.